Dispenser for bottled liquids



March 4,1969 G. F. FALKENBERG 3,430,317

DISPENSER FOR BOTTLED LIQUIDS Sheet Filed April 27, 1967 INVENTOR G USTAVE F. FALKENB ERG AT TQRNEY March 4, 1969 G. F. FALKENBERG 3,430,817

DISPENSER FOR BOTTLED LIQUIDS Sheet Filed April 27, 1967 WWW/ 7646f 1 2 1 INVENTOR GUSTAVE F. FALKENBERG ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,430,817 DISPENSER FOR BOTTLE!) LIQUIDS Gustave F. Falkenberg, Brookfield, Wis., assignor to Dimensional Products, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis. Filed Apr. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 634,301 U.S. Cl. 222173 1 Claim Int. Cl. B67d /54, 5/64 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser for a bottled liquid includes a hollow stand with an upper floor that supports the bottle. A priming tube, including a check valve, extends from the outlet of a flexible bulb nestled in the stand upwardly to a removable closure for the mouth of the bottle and opens into the interior of the bottle. A siphon tube has a depending short leg in the bottle, bends through the closure, and has a long leg extending downwardly to a dispensing valve on the stand. A priming bar is journaled in the stand and is depressible to compress the bulb and force air into the bottle under pressure to prime the siphon tube.

Background of the invention This invention relates to liquid dispensers, and particularly to a primeable, siphon-type dispenser for bottles containing a liquid.

Certain sizes of bottled liquids are difiicult to handle because of their large bulk and weight. This is particularly true of bottled alcoholic beverages of a half gallon and gallon size in which the contents of the bottle are emptied a few ounces at a time. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an apparatus for withdrawing quantities of the liquid from the bottle upon demand. A need exists for a relatively simple, economical dispensing apparatus which requires only a minimum amount of handling of the bottle to prepare for dispensing from the bottle.

A simple form of apparatus for dispensing liquids would be one which utilized a siphon to empty the contents of the bottle. However, priming of the siphon remains a particular problem, and simple and automatic means for priming should be provided if the dispensing mechanism is to successfully perform its intended functions.

Summary of the invention According to the invention, there is provided a dispenser, comprising a stand adapted to support a bottle and which mounts a dispensing valve, a siphon tube that extends from the dispensing valve to a removable closure for the mouth of the bottle and bends downwardly into the interior of the bottle, a priming tube connected to the closure and which is open to the interior of the bottle, and priming means for forcing air under pressure through the priming tube into the bottle to prime the siphon tube, so that liquid will thereafter be dispensed from the bottle through the valve upon demand.

The priming means may comprise a flexible bulb having a one-way valve at its inlet and connected at its outlet to the priming tube, together with a priming handle that is manually actuable to compress the bulb and, thereby, force the liquid into the siphon tube to initiate the siphon action. A check valve may be inserted into the priming tube to prevent air, under pressure, from returning to the bulb from the bottle. The flexible bulb may be nestled in a depression in the bottom of the stand and held in place between the base and the priming handle. The dispenser of this invention requires that a bottle be handled only once, until it is emptied and ready for removal.

Patented Mar. 4, 1969 Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a view in vertical section of the dispenser with an outline of a bottle in place thereon;

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section of the stand taken in the plane of line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

'FIG. 3 is a view in horizontal section taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the removable bottle closure with parts broken away for purposes of illustration; and

FIG. 5 is a view in vertical section of the bottle closure taken in the plane of the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Description of the preferred embodiment The dispenser includes a hollow stand, indicated generally by the numeral 10, which is built up from molded and vacuum formed components of synthetic resin material, such as polystyrene. It includes a generally U- shaped top section 11 comprised of an upper floor 12 and depending front and rear sides 13 and 14, respectively. Side plates 15 are cemented, welded or otherwise secured to the opposite edges of the top section 11. The stand 10 is completed by a vacuum formed bottom section 1-6.

The bottom section 16 is formed at its upper edge with a laterally extending peripheral flange 17, which is received within and cemented to the offset lower edges of the front and rear sides 13 and 1 4 of the top section 11, and is screwed to lugs 18 formed on the inner surface of the side plates 15.

The bottom section 16 has a raised central portion 19 provided with a depression 20' which is so formed and shaped as to mate with and nestle a flexible priming bulb 21. The priming bulb 21 is formed with an extending inlet hub 22 in which is inserted a flapper valve 23, of known construction, that is held in place by an eyelet 24. The priming bulb 21 also has an outlet hub 25 which receives a sleeve 26 for connection to a first segment 27 of a priming tube. The tube segment 27 is attached to a sleeve connector 28, held in place in the upper floor 12 and having a restricted inlet 29 and an enlarged body passage 30. A steel ball 31 is disposed in the body passage 30 and is retained therein by a sleeve 32, so that a check valve is formed by the connector 28 and the ball 31.

A second segment 33 of the priming tube leads upwardly from the sleeve connector 28 to a removable bottle closure indicated generally by the numeral 34. The bottle closure 34 is formed of a cork stopper 35 and a molded cap 36 in which the cork stopper 35 is inserted. The cork stopper 35 has a vertical air passage 37 which terminates in a lateral passage into which is placed the upper end of the second priming tube segment 33. The cap 36 is provided with a semi-circular protuberance to accommodate the tube 33. The cork stopper 35 also has a radial slot leading to a central vertical opening 38, which accommodates a siphon tube 39. The cap 36 is likewise provided with a semi-circular protuberance for the siphon tube 39. The siphon tube 39 extends downwardly to connect with a sleeve connector 40 at the rear of the upper floor 12. A second segment 41 of the siphon tube leads from the sleeve connector 40 to a dispensing valve 42 mounted in the front side 13 of the stand 510. The dispensing valve 42 is of known construction and is of the type in which a valve element is moved outwardly, away from a valve seat to open the valve by either raising or depressing the valve handle 43.

A priming bar 44 has a front handle section 45 with side sections extending rearwardly along either side of the exterior of the bottom section 16. The priming bar 44 is also formed with opposing inwardly directed stub sections 46 which are journaled in bearing openings 47 formed in opposite sides of the bottom section 16. The

priming bar 44 terminates in a pair of spaced fingers 48 which are bent upwardly to lie at an angle to the normal plane of the bar 44. The fingers 48 rest upon the bulb 2 1 and hold the bulb 21 in place within the depression 20. The natural resiliency of the bulb 21 will maintain the fingers 48 in an elevated position and the priming bar 44 will thus be held in a generally horizontal position shown in full lines in FIG. 1.

To use the dispenser, the cap or cork of a bottle is removed and replaced by the closure 34 by forcing the cork stopper 35 into the mouth of the bottle. The bottle is placed upon the upper floor 12 of the stand 10' which has a recess to receive the bottle. When the closure 34 is in place, a short leg of the siphon tube 39 will extend in the bottle to a level just short of the bottom of the bottle. The siphon is primed by depressing the handle section 45 of the priming bar 44 which will force the fingers 48 down upon the bulb 21 and compress the bulb 21 between the fingers 48 and the base section 16. This will force air under pressure through the priming tube and into the bottle. With the dispensing valve 42 open and by repeatedly depressing the priming bar 44, the increased pressure produced within the bottle will force liquid upwardly through the short leg 49 and downwardly through a long leg of the siphon tube to completely fill the siphon tube segments 39 and 41. Once the siphon tube has been filled, the natural siphon action will accomplish withdrawal of liquid from the bottle through the dispensing valve 42 whenever the valve is opened.

Air is admitted to the bulb 21 for priming through the flapper valve 23 and the check valve formed by the connector 28 and ball 31 prevents the air pumped from the bulb 21 from returning to the bulb 21.

The dispenser of this invention provides a simple, although efiicient, apparatus for withdrawing small quantities of liquid from a bottle. It is necessary to handle the bottle only once; to replace the cap or cork of the bottle with the removable closure and to place the bottle upon the stand. The bottle need not be turned over nor handled again until it is empty. Priming of the siphon is accomplished without handling the bottle.

For those bottles which are formed with screw threads adjacent their mouths, a screw type closure may be used rather than the cork stopper type closure 34 of the preferred embodiment. The second segment 33 of the priming tube and the siphon tube 39 can be removed from their respective sleeve connectors 28 and 40 to facilitate installation of a screw type closure on the bottle.

If faster priming of the siphon is desired, two flexible bulbs 21 can be used. The bulbs 21 may be disposed in 5 side-by-side depressions 20 beneath each of the fingers 48 of the priming bar 44 and may have their outlets connected by a Y-connector to the first segment 27 of the priming tube.

I claim:

1. In a dispenser for a bottle containing a liquid, the

combination comprising:

a stand having an upper floor adapted to support the bottle, and a bottom spaced below said upper floor and joined to said upper floor by sides;

a dispensing valve on said stand at a level beneath said upper floor;

a removable closure for the mouth of the bottle;

a siphon tube extending through said closure, said siphon tube having one leg extending downwardly from said closure to said valve and having a second shorter leg extending downwardly from said closure and adapted to be received within said bottle;

a priming tube extending through said closure and adapted to open into the interior of said bottle; and priming means for forcing air under pressure through said priming tube and into said bottle to prime said siphon tube,

said priming means comprising a flexible bulb disposed 'Wiihln said stand, said bulb having an outlet connected to said priming tube and an inlet including one-way valve means for admitting air to the interior of the bulb, said bottom having a depression that receives and nestles said bulb, and means for compressing said bulb comprising a priming bar that is journaled in opposite sides of said stand and including a handle portion disposed to the outside of said stand and a finger normally overlying said bulb within said stand, whereby depressing said handle portion will rock said bar to force said finger down upon said bulb and thereby to compress the same between the finger and said bottom to force the air in said bulb through said priming tube and into the bottle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 466,336 1/1892 Franklin 222204 1,328,866 1/1920 Yeatter 222400.8 1,907,763 5/1933 England 222204 2,153,156 4/1939 Pollnow 222-179 X 2,301,416 11/1942 Krug 222173 2,494,147 1/1950 Trelease et al. 222179 2,628,744 2/ 1953 Mowbray 222179 3,272,393 9/ 1966 Roesler 222--179 3,341,083 9/1967 Stewart 222209 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

